 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Have you ever wondered if you are giving the right amount of a liquid vitamin or other over-the-counter product to your kids or grandchildren? With instructions like “Take 1 teaspoonful” or “1 tablespoonful”, what do you do? Reach for a spoon in your silverware drawer?
Most liquids for children come with a plastic cup or some form of spoon or dropper. These are marked, or calibrated, so you can see how much to give, if your eyes are that good. In a study* recently published, it was found that over 50% of measured doses by parents for kids are not accurate! That means the measured amount was 20% more or 20% less than amount indicated. This study only compared dosed given from the cups, spoons, and droppers that came with the products. Almost 30% of the time, the dose measured was at least 1/3 to much or too little! I wonder how accurate the dosing is for the spoons you have in your kitchen.
We don’t know why people have a problem measuring the right amount of a liquid, but the good news is you can do something about it. The next time you are at the pharmacy, ask for a dosing spoon, or a dropper. You never know when you may need one. Plastic cups should be avoided if possible because 7 out of 10 times the amount parents measured is not accurate.
*Source: Yin HS, Mendelsohn AL, Wolf MS, et al
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164:181-186
Did you enjoy this post?
Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment